Natural Products Industry Insider - Phoenix,AZ,USA
May 12, 2006.
SEOUL-- Lutein protects the macula from degeneration through anti-inflammatory actions, according to a new study in Nutrition (May 2, 2006).
Using a rat model of transient ischemia and high intraocular pressure, researchers from Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, and Kemin Food Asia Japan (Tokyo) injected lutein (as FloraGLO®, from Kemin Foods LC) into the intraperitoneal or intravitreous before inducing ischemia. Retinal degeneration was observed by light microscopy 24 hours after ischemia. Expressions of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2), enzymes involved in inflammatory pathways, were detected by western blot analysis at various times after retinal ischemia. Lutein dose-dependently inhibited ischemia-induced cell death and expression levels of nNOS and COX-2 in ischemic retinas, in comparison to retinas not treated with lutein. Lutein-injected ischemic retinas appeared similar to normal retinas.
The researchers concluded lutein supplementation may have the potential to inhibit ischemic cell death in the neural retina by suppressing nNOS and COX-2 expression.
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